DUBAI: Indian opening batter Shubman Gill has once again dethroned Pakistan star batter Babar Azam to claim the top spot in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Batting Rankings on Wednesday.
“India right-hander Shubman Gill overtakes former Pakistan captain Babar Azam to become the top-ranked ODI batter in the world,” ICC stated in a press release.
“It’s a major shake-up at the top of the rankings just prior to the start of the Champions Trophy and leaves an interesting sub-plot to what will transpire over the coming weeks during the eight-team tournament in Pakistan and Dubai.”
For the unversed, this is the second time Gill has gone past Babar to claim the top spot, having previously achieved the feat midway through the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023.
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Babar Azam is now placed in second position in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings, 23 rating points behind the new No.1 batter, meanwhile, India skipper Rohit Sharma remains in the third spot.
Shubman Gill is the fourth Indian player to become the No. 1 ODI batter after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell moved up two places to fifth and Sri Lankan batter Charith Asalanka jumped eight spots to eighth in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings.
Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan achieved his career-best rating as he moved up six places to claim the 15th spot
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